The Final Invasion
by AzoNintendo
Summary: Bowser is tired of the endless humiliation. He's tired of ruling over a poverty-ridden, dead kingdom. He isn't kidding around this time. Rated for violence, cussing, gruesome character death, sexual themes, and alcohol. Chapter 13 is up!
1. Black and White Plans

**Holy shit, I'm not dead! Man, that was one long absence. But now I'm baaack.  
**

**Yes, I'm starting a new story. But I've been itching to write as of late, so here goes nothing.  
**

**All characters come from the wonderful minds that work at Nintendo.

* * *

**

The sky was blue that day, with the occasional cloud. A light wind blew fallen leaves around, which crunched when stepped on. Though nobody could hear it. The town was bustling, more so than usual. People bought more than their budgets allowed, yelled across the town square to their friends, and lugged heavy bags home, almost dead on their feet.

None of this concerned three friends, however. They were sitting in a secluded area on the castle grounds, talking about anything that came to mind, laughing and drinking tea. They were Mario, Luigi, and Peach.

"Nice day today," Luigi commented, smiling to a cloud, which smiled back. He had since gotten used to this, though it shocked him ten years ago when he first arrived here.

"I know, it's so warm for October." Princess Peach sipped her tea and looked around. "The Halloween Festival is coming up soon. What are you going to dress up as?"

Mario smiled mischievously. "Something scary. Y'know, like Dracula or a corpse."

"I'm going as a Yoshi," Luigi said, shrugging. "Scary isn't really my thing. What are you going to be?"

"I'm dressing as a witch," she replied. "Toadsworth will be following me around, though, so it might not be that fun."

"How could a party be no fun?" Mario asked, smiling. "Me and Luigi are going to pull some killer pranks, right? That'll be amusing."

"What? Pranks?" Luigi's expression changed to one of confusion.

Peach laughed. "It's going to be fun anyway. I should be going, there's going to be a whole load of preparation I have to be involved in." She frowned at all the work she had to do. "Oh well, I suppose it comes with my status. I'll see you guys at the festival."

Mario and Luigi walked home feeling relaxed and happy. Little did they know this was probably the only relaxed and happy moment left in their lives.

* * *

"I have a good feeling about this one."

"You _always _have a good feeling about these attacks."

"This time I know it."

"You _always _say that."

Bowser couldn't help but know that Kamak spoke the truth.

Many, many people had done him wrong in his life. But the top two people, the ones that stood out the most, were the two Mario brothers. No, just the older one. Mario. Oh, how that name brought up terrible memories, right from birth, and up to his, most likely, untimely death. All he wanted was happiness. And with happiness came the Mushroom Kingdom. Thousands flocked to its beautiful scenery, charming architecture, and clean air. Everything his own kingdom did not have. It was a wasteland, barren and fruitless, dusty. The citizens might have been skeletons, they were so starved. People begged on the street, fighting for a last breath of smokey air. And what did his family do to help it? Nothing! They just sat in their castle, perhaps the most depressing building in the whole of Dark Land. Made entirely of granite, torches lit the place, and lava pooled in the corners. Forgotten souls rotted in the dungeons, with barely any light to even see themselves wasting away.

The Mushroom Kingdom took all the resources, attracted the tourists, and had mined almost all the oil from Dark Land. He sought vengeance. He was going to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom and everyone in it. One by one. He would finally win, finally be the one to come out on top.

"Yes, but this time I mean it."

* * *

**I am very, very sorry for the leangth of this chapter, but I couldn't think of another way to end it. **

**Cheerio.**

~Azo


	2. Party Preparations

**There's going to be an awful lot of Bowser in this story. If you don't like him, turn back now. You have been warned.**

"Bowser, are you quite sure this is a good battle plan?" Kamak said warily, checking over a large piece of paper tacked to the wall. The lines criss-crossed wildly, and the small scrawl he knew as Bowser's was written almost in every corner. The graphite made holes in the paper at some points.

A huge building was drawn in the very center, and labeled as, "Mushroom Castle." It had more lines, arrows, circles, and x's than the rest of the map combined, and looked almost like a huge black blot, if you saw it from across the room. Each floor was drawn out, one on top of the other. Overall, the plan looked extremely dangerous.

"Bowser."

The king had been staring out the window, then the plan, one after the other. It seemed as though his mind was far from the throne room.

"I think this plan will work," Kamak said, taking a step toward the huge koopa. Bowser glanced at him. "But only if you are determined enough. What would the kingdom do without its king?"

He crossed his arms, still staring at the graphite marked heavily on the paper. "You're worried about me." It wasn't a question, it was an accusation.

The old wizard sighed. "Bowser, I've taken care of you since your father abandoned you. Of course I care about you."

Bowser sighed back at him. "And still no word on the whereabouts of my mother?"

"None. I'm sorry, but we still haven't a clue who to even look for."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Bowser crossed his arms and bore holes into the paper with his eyes. Kamak stared out the window, as if expecting all the answers he'd been searching for to burst through it.

"If I die, Ludwig will take the throne. He's more than capable."

"Replacements can only go so far. Rethink your strategy, think of how many men you can lose," he advised. He turned to walk from the room, but Bowser's voice stopped him.

"What about my father? Anything about him?" His voice was hollow and cold, though he sounded weaker than he would usually let anyone hear.

Kamak hesitated before answering. "No. But Morton Sr. was a vile, vile koopa. Know that you would have died if I had not found you in the dungeons. He's likely fled the continent by now."

Bowser didn't reply, just stared at his complicated plan, as if hoping to gain the knowledge Kamak could not provide him.

Kamak nodded, and left the room.

* * *

The air was practically filled with joy, but Luigi could not help but feel cautious. That's who he was, anyway, a very wary person. He had a feeling, that day Mario and he had accepted the plumbing job at the old woman's apartment, that something would go terribly wrong (though he could now say that accepting that job was the best thing that happened to both of them). He had a feeling of resentment the first time they rescued Peach from Bowser, all those years ago. How long had it been now? Ten years, maybe eleven?

Now, though, now he had a ball of worry in his stomach, and couldn't help but tell someone about it.

"Hey, Mario, Bowser hasn't attacked in a while," he said, laying on the couch with a book resting on his stomach.

Mario glanced up from his magazine and said, "Maybe he's finally realized he hasn't got a chance in hell."

"Maybe." He tried to go back to reading, but found himself reading the same sentence over and over. He slammed it shut and threw it aside. "Mario, I've got a bad feeling."

"What about? It's almost Halloween, we're going to an awesome party tomorrow, and there's not a cloud in the sky." He didn't even bother lifting his eyes from the page, and his voice came out in a lazy drawl.

"Isn't that the perfect time to launch an attack? Think about it. Everyone's happy, off their guard, and suddenly, these huge damn Doomships come floating across the sky. Panic or not?" He had stood up by now, and was pacing the room nervously.

"Luigi, we're all going to be cautious. Bowser's never gone this long without attacking. Who could blame him, though? That last defeat was downright humiliating." It bugged him that he still hadn't looked up from his magazine.

"Mario, take me seriously," he moaned, dropping onto the couch.

Finally, he looked at him. "Luigi, there's absolutely nothing to worry about."

Luigi sighed. Maybe his brother was right, maybe he was wrong. The fact was, there was no way to know about it.

* * *

**I'd forgotten how awesome reviews are. Thank you!**

**It seems as though my writer's block has magically cleared. What a wonderful feeling.**


	3. Halloween Celebrations

**As always, characters belong to Nintendo. Morton Koopa Sr. and Lady Koopa are mine, though the species also belongs to Nintendo.**

"Do I look okay?"

"You look like you've just been stabbed a few times, shot, left to rot in the street for a few weeks, and been eaten and shitted out by a cat."

"Then the illusion is complete!" Mario exclaimed, smiling. Their costumes were finished, and they were ready to go to the festival. Mario's was a particularly gruesome corpse, and Luigi thought he had went a bit overboard with the fake blood. He had ripped up an old tacky blazer and shirt of his and splattered them into oblivion. Luigi had decided to scrap the yoshi idea and go with something a little more scary. So here he was, dressed as a Dark Koopa, the spiked cuffs itching his wrists. He still had the sense that something terrible was about to happen, though it was in the back of his mind. Right now, the thing to do was have fun.

"We're gonna be late," Mario said, checking his watch.

"Like Peach'll care." Luigi adjusted his sunglasses. "Man, it's gonna be hard to see in these tonight."

"Yeah, that and you'll probably get drunk again," Mario said, rolling his eyes.

"What?"

"What, don't you remember last year's Easter party?" When Luigi gave him a weird stare, he went on. "You got roaring drunk and puked in Daisy's lap."

"Oh. I forget the details." He couldn't believe he'd done that. He always seemed to get drunk on the holidays, even when he vowed he'd only have one glass of wine. One glass turned into two, two to four, and pretty soon he would wake up with a pounding headache. He knew he always did very, very embarrassing things when he got drunk.

* * *

"I'm ready. Let's go tonight." Bowser paced the room, claws clasped together and massaging each other nervously. His expression, however, was twisted into anticipation and fury. His voice was barely a murmur, but it held much anger and malice.

"Tonight? Are you sure that's wise?" Kamak asked warily.

Bowser's head snapped in his direction. "Of course I am! I've been waiting for this for fourteen _years!"_

Kamak stared at the ceiling, rather than look at the furious king. Bowser had been taking pretty much everything too fast ever since he was a child. He never thought things through and always ended up getting hurt and losing. This was the reason why his wife, Lady, had left him three years ago. Oh, those weeks were terrible. Bowser had taken it upon himself to make everyone just as miserable as he was, as well as kidnapping the princess.

"Nobody wants to see you die, Bowser."

"You know that's not true."

Kamak frowned. Nobody talked for a while, but Bowser continued to pace.

Kamak hesitated. "Bowser. We were able to find the location of your father-"

"What?!" Bowser's expression turned to one of shock, and he went rigid.

"Yes. He's been living in the BeanBean Kingdom under an alias," Kamak continued cautiously. He knew this was a touchy subject. "Would you like for us to contact him...?"

Silence. Bowser's expression slowly faded into anger.

"No."

Kamak nodded. "I understand." He turned and left the room.

Bowser became aware that he was shaking. His hands balled into fists. In one sudden motion he turned and punched the wall with such force that his knuckles came away scratched and bloody. He had actually made a dent in the stone.

"Get ready," he muttered, his breaths coming out in puffs of smoke. "No more kidding around."

* * *

Peach hummed to herself as she straightened her witch's hat. She knew she didn't look even remotely scary, but she didn't care. This was a time for fun.

Her room was drenched in pink, from the pink painted ceilings to the pink shag rug. The walls were covered in soft pastel wallpaper, with windows that overlooked the kingdom from all directions. The balcony overlooked the back view of the castle, the huge field that stretched to Desert Land. Though this view was spectacular, her bed was perhaps more so. Its canopy reached the ceiling, its pink (of course) curtains draping gracefully to the floor. Most of the pillows were heart-shapes, huge and overstuffed. She loved to snuggle up in them at night after a hard day's work.

She glanced at a clock on the wall, and nearly dropped her hairbrush. She had about two minutes to make it down to the foyer. Almost tripping on her heels, she ran down the many flights of stairs and finally met Toadsworth, out of breath.

"I'm sorry," she panted, one hand on her chest. "I lost track of time, and-"

"Never mind, never mind," he said, waving his hand as if to dismiss the problem. He gestured to the front door. Peach walked out to be greeted by the scariest thing she'd ever seen in her life.

She let out a bloodcurdling scream, and the thing said, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Oh. It was just Mario.

She was breathing heavily again. "Nice costume."

He laughed. "That's a good sign."

Luigi was standing behind him dressed as a Dark Koopa. He was bouncing from one foot to the other, in excitement or anticipation she couldn't tell.

She looked outside again, and her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe how many people had gathered in the Town Square, dressed in costumes of all shapes and sizes. Leaves crunched loudly underfoot and mingled with the sound of people talking and laughing.

"Hey, I invited Daisy," Peach said, jumping up to try and scan the crowd, but almost tripping again on her shoes. "We should try and find her."

They began the search, but there were so many people walking about that she could have been any one of the various vampires, witches, corpses or bats.

"Let's split up," Peach suggested. "I'll go this way, you guys go that way." They ventured off in different directions. Peach searched, but could not find her.

Suddenly, all too suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. She screamed, and the hands released her.

"Hey! God, I was just trying to surprise you." She turned. Daisy, dressed as a vampire, was standing there.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Mario's costume already gave me a heart attack," she said, laughing.

"What's he dressed up as?"

"You'll see."

_

* * *

_The news that Morton Sr. had been found had been a lot to process, though it was more the fact that he had abandoned him in the first place that disgusted Bowser so much. And this only brought up more questions. Why was he hiding? Where was his mother?

He could not beleive what he had done. It was cruel and insensitive, even by koopa standards. Royal koopas who could not take a wife, much less father a child, were greatly frowned upon. Nobody knew who Bowser's mother was, or if she was even still alive. Morton Sr. had been stuck with his egg, and only kept it to keep up appearances. Once he had hatched, however, he didn't care what happened to him. Before fleeing the kingdom, he had left Bowser in the dungeons to die. It was lucky Kamak had found him.

Bowser might not have been the world's greatest dad, but at least he still took care of his children! At least he cared about them, even a little bit! At least he _knew _who their mother was!

But did that do any good now?

* * *

_"Bowser, I can't stand it anymore." Lady stood one one side of the gigantic bed, holding a suitcase, which was stuffed fit to burst. "This isn't just a hobby, it's an obsession. And that princess... You care more about her than you do me."_

_Bowser's eyes narrowed. "Don't say that! I'm trying to conquer this Kingdom for our own family's benefit! You're just too selfish to realize that not everything's about you-!"_

"Stop it!" _She was crying. "You're too insensitive. I know it's on obsession, and it's _creepy! _You don't need to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom to make us happy. And you just can't realize that, can you?"_

_"Lady-"_

_"Keep the egg. I'm leaving." She snatched her suitcase and made for the door._

_Bowser's anger boiled over. In his blind rage, he picked up a lantern attached to the wall and threw it after her. It hit her square in the back of the head, and she fell to the floor._

_The room was silent. Bowser slowly stepped over to her in shock and horror. Though he wanted to look away, his eyes were glued to the spot. Lady's eyelids slowly fluttered open._

_She sat up and slapped him across the face._

_He sat there dumbly as she ran down the stairs. For a few seconds, he stared at a spot on the wall, then almost exploded in blind fury. He ran down the stairs after her and cornered her on the second floor landing._

_"Bowser, don't even try to talk me out of leaving!" She was all out sobbing, massaging the spot where the lamp had hit her. "I thought having eight children with you would make some sort of bond between us, but I guess I was wrong."_

_For a few moments, they just stared at each other. Bowser had always considered Lady to be very pretty, but right now he hated everything about her. Her long, blue hair was tied up with a bow, the orange scales on her face covered in tears. Her red shell was pressed against the wall, spikes almost driving into it. _

_Bowser sighed. Lady made a noise somewhere between a whimper and a scoff. She grabbed her suitcase and ran down the stairs. Bowser ran after her._

_"Lady! _Lady! _Stop!"_

_He heard the front doors slam. She was gone. He had let her walk out the door._

_After a while, he was aware of Kamak, and most of his children standing a few yards away from him._

_"Well? WELL?!" he screamed. "What are you doing standing there?!"_

_They recoiled, and ran from the room. All except Kamak.  
_

_He grimaced. "Well. She's gone."_

_Bowser couldn't take it anymore. He growled and ran toward the magikoopa, his fist in the air, but the frail-looking koopa waved his wand calmly. He met a barrier head-on in mid-air and stumbled back a few steps._

_Kamak looked as though he were about to say something, but shook his head and left the room._


	4. Kamak's Commands

**At least by the next chapter, this story is probably gonna earn itself an M rating. Might even be this one, with all the dirty talk of alcoholic beverages. BEER.  
**

**Just so you know, the process I'm using with the Koopa eggs is that right after intercourse, the female lays the egg. Just so you guys know.**

**Characters belong to Nintendo, specifically Shigeru Myamito. But what would he be doing on a fanfiction website?  
**

All the troops of Dark Land were assembled in front of the castle, waiting for Bowser's usual pep talk. Bowser, however, was near the back of the castle. Kamak had called him over to his room, as he had very important news to tell him.

Kamak was a hesitant person nowadays. This was good, for the news he had to deliver made him sick to his stomach, and if he had been any less wary, he would have let it slip too fast and probably ended up burned in a pit of lava.

"Well, what could possibly be more important than this day?" Bowser asked impatiently.

"You know that we located Morton Koopa Sr. living in the BeanBean Kingdom, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you remember that you told us not to contact him?" He did not like the look on Bowser's face. He was almost afraid to keep talking. "He had contacted us. A bit of irony, don't you think?"

Bowser didn't say anything. He kept his eyes glued to the wall, his eyebrows knotted together. Finally, he said, "What does he say?"

"He wishes to speak with you, face to face." Kamak became aware that he, too, was scowling. He had known Morton Sr. for most of his life, even been his good friend at one point, and had never seen him show any redeeming qualities. He was a spoiled brat, he could never keep his friends, and he had one night stands with women who were probably married. Finally, one woman made him stop and think. This was the unknown woman who was Bowser's mother, who had left the unhatched egg with him. Morton Sr. hadn't even found out her first name.

"I do want to talk to him," Bowser said at last.

Kamak, who almost never lost his cool, had almost dropped his jaw. "Surely you remember- How could you even think-"

"Of _course _I do! I just want answers!" he snapped.

After a beat of silence, Kamak said quietly, "I care about you, I hope you know that."

Bowser looked as if he were about to roll his eyes, but restrained himself. He turned to leave, but muttered, "Thanks. I guess."

* * *

"So, the lady had been captured?" Luigi said playfully, wrapping an arm around Daisy.

"Hey, Weedge!" Daisy exclaimed, pecking his cheek. "How long's it been?"

_"Too _long." He smiled as Mario and Peach made fake barfing noises.

"Hey, get a room, you two," Mario said, stepping between them and throwing his arms around their shoulders. "Well, the party's just starting. Are we ready to start drinking yet?"

"Aw, c'mon," Peach replied, her shoulders slumping. "Don't provoke him." She gestured to Luigi.

"What? Am I really that bad?" Luigi had a suspicious, yet humored expression.

"Yes, you are," Daisy replied, chuckling. "Anyway, we can't hit the sauce until it gets dark out. What's the fun in getting drunk unless it's too dark to tell who you are?"

"True, true," Mario said, looking around at the colorful costumes. "Wow, this is amazing. Look at all the people!"

"I'm surprised at how many people dressed up as Bowser's troops," Luigi commented, looking a little disappointed.

Peach shrugged. "Well, they are pretty scary. By the way, I don't think they wear those spiked cuffs anymore, Weege."

Luigi threw up his arms in defeat. "Whatever! I'm going 80's!"

"90's," Peach corrected.

Daisy chuckled. "Oh, Mario, you look positively terrible. Good job."

"So do you," Mario replied, smiling.

In the thrill of chatting with his friends, especially Daisy, Luigi almost forgot the slight sense of forboding he had. But he soon realized that, with all the attention to detail the people of the Mushroom Kingdom had, how were they to know if real troops had snuck into the party?

* * *

Kamak was certainly flustered. He was not expecting Bowser to leave so soon, nor was he expecting him to tell him to give the troops direction, or give the opening speech. Nor did he _want _to, for that matter.

He approached the masses slowly, and they took no notice of him. "Excuse me." They ignored him. He pointed his wand straight upward and sent a huge explosion into the air.

The koopas quieted almost immediatly, save for a few cries of, "Hey! _Dude!" _or "What the hell?" Kamak smirked.

"Thank you. Now, Bowser is not with us at the moment, and has asked me to speak with you concerning the battle plan.

"As some of you know, the Mushroom Kingdom is celebrating All Hallow's Eve, and many of them are dressed as Dark Land troops. This is an important asset. We must not storm into the kingdom as per usual, but be descreet. Do not yell, scream, or say anything that might give you away too quickly." He paused for a few seconds, one eyebrow raised. They muttered to themselves.

"We will attack from the east-"

"Hey! What's in it for us?" a Hammer Bro shouted from the crowd.

"Yeah! Howzabout some fair pay? I got a family to feed!"

"I never got my Christmas bonus!"

Pretty soon, the whole crowd was in an uproar even a few explosions from Kamak's wand couldn't cure. His temper got the better of him and he fired a spell into the crowd.

A few people screamed and dodged the attack. Kamak sighed, and continued. _"As I was saying, _we're attacking from the east. Anybody have a problem with it?"

Nobody spoke. "Good. Now, for the battle plan."

* * *

It didn't take much for Bowser to find the place. It was very near where he had landed in a canon, all those years ago. It still sickened him that he had helped those Mario brothers in any way, but he knew he would get his revenge.

One thing he didn't expect was how little his father looked like him. He was larger by far than Bowser, with a large yellow spike shell, and thinning brown hair. His face was lined in a permanent scowl. He stood with a sense of pride, like he owned the place, his arms crossed.

Bowser was nervous, in spite of himself. He marched up to the large koopa and looked him right in the eyes. "What do you have to say?"

**Yeah, I'm defianatly changing the rating next chapter. **

**Sorry for the boringness. The actual attacking starts next chapter. **


	5. Love Drunk

**I just changed the rating, because this chapter damn well deserves it. Violence aplenty, sexual themes, and alcohol. I was a little embarrassed writing this, but then I decided it needed to be done. Gentle viewers may want to stop reading. **

**Is it weird that the age group this is targeted toward is about three years older than me?  
**

**Characters belong to... Ah, you know the rest.**

"So, most attacks will be towards the castle, the Marios' house, and the harbor. We have obtained information that Mushroom Castle had an underground store of power-ups. This is the _prize. _We must open this at all costs.

"Some things that are important. If you see the Princess, leave her be. King Koopa has given me specific instructions to tell you this. The same goes for Mario. Wound, but do not kill. He wants him for himself." Kamak finished feeling quite winded. "Now, off you go."

A few koopas looked disappointed, but Kamak gave them a look. They quieted themselves.

* * *

Ah, it was finally getting dark. All bad feelings had left Luigi's mind, as did his self-consciousness of his drunk persona. He laughed and joked, completely unworried.

"What did I tell you?" Mario said, patting him on the back. "We're having fun. Nothing bad happened."

"Yeah, yeah, I was just being paranoid." He swayed slightly, and his vision shifted. "Jesus."

"Hey, guys!" Peach wrapped her arms around Mario's neck. When she kissed her on the cheek, he could smell Martinis. "This party is amazing! Nobody's done anything stupid, and as of right now, I'll remember it."

Mario laughed, and Luigi wandered off. Peach turned to face him. "So, how drunk is he so far?"

"Eh, not too bad. I worry about him sometimes, though."

"He can take care of himself. I know he can." She was quiet for a few seconds. "It's loud. Do you want to... maybe, go to my room for a bit?" There were bright pink patches on her cheeks. Mario could feel the temperature in his face rising, but ignored it.

"Okay, it is loud."

They walked up the seemingly endless staircase, and Mario was sure the red velvet carpet was going to be implanted in his mind forever. Finally, they found the splash of pink that was Peach's room. Peach flopped down on her bed and sighed, stretching her arms above her head. Mario stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Do you want to go out on the balcony for a bit?" he asked.

"That's not really what I had in mind." Her voice was deadpan, but the pink patches became a shade darker. Mario told himself that it must have been from the hike upstairs. Peach got up and crossed the room to look out one of the many windows. "It's hard ruling this place, but it's all worth it. Living here. Having friends. Meeting you."

"I would have noticed you even if you were living on the streets."

Peach's lips curved into a small smile. She walked back to the other side of the room and sat on her bed. She patted the space next to her, indicating that he should sit, and he did.

"You don't need to be so nervous," she assured him. She leaned over and kissed him. Instead of the usual peck, she let this one last much longer.

"I love you, Peach, and I don't think I can wait any more." He shifted his sitting position nervously. He had smelt alcohol on her breath, and didn't her to say yes unless she was absolutely sure. "I think you're the greatest person I've ever met, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Peach gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth, and small tears of happiness sprung into her eyes.

"I-I mean, I can understand if I'm going to fast, I wasn't so sure either, I almost didn't-" He wasn't able to finish his sentance, as Peach had wrapped her arms around him and kissed him pationatly. It wasn't long before they flopped into the bed, hand feeling all over, doing everything they hadn't been able to do when everyone thought they were friends.

Much too suddenly, Peach pulled away. "What? What's wrong?" Mario asked, disheveled.

"Didn't you hear that?" She was looking around urgently, redoing her shirt where it had become unbuttoned. "That scream!"

He heard it. In fact, many people were screaming now. Mario sprang up. "Stay here! I'll go down and-"

"Not on your life, buddy," Peach said, her hand already on the door handle.

* * *

"Bowser, that's what he calls you?" Morton's voice was low and gruff, hoarse from use. "Good name. Good for a king. I gotta say, though, the kingdom's in a hole right now."

A muscle in Bowser's jaw twitched. He had never been spoken to this way, and he knew he could not answer back. At least not yet. "Yeah, yeah."

"You look just like your mother."

"How would you know?"

"I knew your mother."

"No you didn't," Bowser countered. "Don't try to tell me anything different. I know what happened, Kamak told me everything."

Morton let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head. He looked so gray, like a washed-out picture of a former king. "Did he, now?"

_"Yes," _Bowser said forcefully. "What could you possibly have to say?"

"What's wrong with wanting to see my son?"

"What about all the _other _women you've knocked up and left?! What about all my half-brothers and sisters?!" Bowser was shouting. He had wanted to stay respectable, to show he was the better koopa, but that facade was lost.

"I don't know _what _that old bastard's been telling you-"

"Do _not," _Bowser said slowly and clearly, through clenched teeth. _"call Kamak a bastard." _He stomped up to him and stared him in his gray, cold eyes.

They didn't blink for the longest time. Finally, Morton broke the silence.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm still alive, and I've been watching the kingdom. You've gone soft. I know how much you attack the Mushroom Kingdom. Why not broaden your horizens? Or, is it that girl who rules the kingdom?"

"Well... actually-"

"Good _God, _Bowser, she's a human, you're a koopa!" He shook his head. "Why did I ever leave...?"

"Who are you to talk down to anyone?"

He half smiled. He looked more like a regular person who had no secrets. "You're right. I'm a jackass."

They stood in silence for a few more moments, before Bowser turned and started to walk off.

"Where're you going?"

"I've got a kingdom to rule over."

* * *

"Do you think...?"

"I _saw _it! There was blood everywhere!"

Blood? Mario caught snippets of conversation on his way through the crowd. He had always had to watch his back, and now that he thought about it, everyone in costume... What a perfect time to attack.

Stupid.

* * *

Daisy wasn't usually one to get drunk, but Luigi was making her feel uncomfortable. She could still walk in a straight line, however, so she had decided to stop for the night. Luigi was still going strong.

"Daize, y'know what?" he said, tripping over his words. He was laughing, like this was the funniest joke in the world. "We should have parties, um, like this more often."

"Luigi, I need to take you back to your house before you do something stupid."

He leaned in way too close for her comfort. "That's not where _I _wanna end up."

Out of reflex, Daisy hit him on the forehead. He stumbled back a few paces and landed on the ground. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She reached out a hand to help him up. He took it, and swayed on the spot when he stood up.

"Uuuhhhn," he moaned, holding his head. "I _am _kinda drunk, y'know?"

"Yes, you are." Daisy reached a hand around his waist to help him stay balanced. "I'm gonna take you back to your place, and-"

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air.

"Oh my God!" Daisy shouted, craning her neck above the crowd. "I can't see. But we need to get you some coffee."

* * *

Mario and Peach maneuvered their way through the crowd, almost losing each other over the noise and amount of people. The many costumed toads and koopas expressions ranged from happy to downright sobbing, but most seemed to have not seen what happened.

"Look, I think the crowd is thinning up ahead," Peach called out, pointing. Indeed, the many people had parted around one small spot. In the middle lay something neither plumber nor princess had ever wished to see.

Toad lay there, covered in his own blood. He was not breathing.

**I can't leave it at this. It's likely the next chapter will be out, at the latest, by Saturday. Hopefully, the holidays won't interfear with my writing schedule, and the chapters will come out regularly. Just don't expect anything the 25th.**

**As always, **

**Azo  
**


	6. The Attack

**...I kept making typos for no reason while I was writing this. Oh, and this chapter is about two times longer than any of the other ones, so grab some... chocolate. Or something.  
**

**The war actually starts in this one. Get ready for action.**

**By they way, Merry Chrismahanukwanzaramadanicus.  
**

**Characters belong to Nintendo.  
**

Peach let out a long scream. Covering her face in her hands, she began to sob uncontrollably. Mario also yelled, and his whole body gave an involuntary stumble backward. The bottom of his stomach seemed to have disappeared. Toad always seemed like someone he could count on... and now he was dead. Gone forever.

_"Who did this?!" _Mario shouted.

A small Mushroomer dressed as a bat stepped forward. He raised one shaking hand and said, "I-I think it was someone dressed as a Koopa Troopa, but I'm n-not sure..."

There must have been fifty Koopa Troopa's here. This was not going to help him. "What did he look like specifically?"

"Mario-" Peach started, but a sob cut her off. After a few deep breaths, she continued. "They have to be coming. We're never going to find them, and they're right under our noses!"

She buried her face in her hands again and cried. Mario wrapped an arm around her trembling shoulders. "Oh my God. Toad... no..." She turned away from the mutilated corpse.

He didn't notice Daisy and Luigi appear at their sides. Daisy let out something between a gasp and a sob. Luigi's knees buckled.

Mario whispered to Luigi, not wanting to embarrass him in front of Peach or Daisy. "Are you sober?"

"I'm sober enough." His voice shook, and when he pulled his hat down to cover his eyes, it became clear he was crying.

They stood there for they didn't know how many minutes, just standing and mourning.

* * *

Bowser walked back to Koopa Kastle. Arriving at the Mushroom Kingdom himself so soon would create instant chaos, and they did not want to blow their cover so quickly. By any luck, Kamak had led them into battle. The Halloween party would be enough for them to go around as they please.

He needed to stop dwelling on his past and start thinking about the welfare of his kingdom. But he couldn't help but wonder if Kamak had lied to him about a few things.

* * *

Kamak scratched the side of his head. He had decided on an actual disguise, since most of the Magikoopas costumes here were cheap imitations that got most of the details wrong. His would seem too real to be fake. He did not count on it being so itchy, though.

He had heard a few screams, and could only guess a Koopa Troopa had succeeded in killing someone. Much too soon. They didn't want to blow their cover, why couldn't people understand simple instructions?

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Bowser had better get here soon, or things are gonna start falling apart."

* * *

"This _proves _what I thought earlier," Luigi said thickly. "Bowser's troops are here. More people are going to be killed if we don't do something."

"You're right." Mario was still in shock. He hadn't cried at all, though his three friends were all sobbing. Peach had had to be taken up to her room to calm down and try and sleep, or she was going to make herself sick. "This whole thing needs to be canceled. Bowser might show up, and who would know? All the costumes! And _you're _too drunk to fight!"

"I'm not! I'm not stupid enough to ignore this!" He hastily wiped his face. "I was the one who had a feeling this would happen. You just wanted to have _fun." _

"Stop it!" Daisy screamed, slamming her hand down on a table. "I'm _sick and tired _of listening to you guys fight each other. You should be finding Bowser and finishing him off." She sighed and stood up. "Everyone should leave, now. It's just dangerous to stay here now that Toad's-" She choked on her words. "I'm going to talk to Peach. Think of a plan."

Daisy walked off and disappeared into the thinning crowd. Luigi stared at the place where she had been standing moments before.

"She's great." He was grinning, but his face was still red. "I really do love her."

"Make a move, my friend," Mario said, laughing in spite of everything.

"I will," Luigi replied, hoisting himself to his feet. "Someday."

Mario sighed quietly. Crossing his arms, he stared at a crumpled up piece of paper on the ground. He still couldn't believe anything that had happened. Toad couldn't be dead, he couldn't be, he was always there for everyone, so loyal and caring, so vulnerable. None of this would have happened, he thought, if he and his brother had not brought such conflict to this planet. Bowser hated the Mushroom Kingdom because of them, and their ability to beat him time after time. He hated them, and they hated him. They were ready to kill. And because of this, he was ready at a moment's notice to kill their family and friends as well!

But, now that he thought about it, how many times had he fought Bowser's children? He thought of the terrible anger that would posses him if Bowser ever attacked his child. Was he no better than Bowser?

Luigi's voice shook him from his thoughts. "We do need to think of a plan." His voice was flat, but serious, more so than he had probably ever been in his life.

A loud, shrill whistle sounded through the air. A few people cried out, and it finally stopped when everyone was quiet. The source of the noise was the castle's balcony, where Princess Peach stood. From this far away, the brothers could not see her puffy eyes or red cheeks.

"Citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom," Peach began, and Mario wondered how anybody could be so formal. "You may not have known, but a life was taken today. We don't know who did this, or why, but we must stop the festivities. Please, go home, lock your doors, and stay where it is safe." She turned and walked back into the castle.

The crowd was all but disappearing before people starting jumping in from the shadows, people dressed in Koopa Troopa costumes. They ran out onto the Town Square, and at once, Mario could tell these were not costumes at all.

"Luigi, look-!"

A koopa nearest them grabbed Luigi from behind and held a knife at his throat. "Move a muscle, and I'll kill 'em."

* * *

Peach sat upstairs, shaking with sobs. She had known Toad all her life, and never thought she would outlive him. Seeing his body was more traumatizing. She knew that however longer she lived, she would never, ever get over seeing the corpse of one of her closest friends. She shook with sobs while Daisy comforted her.

"W-well, it's the circle of life," Daisy said, trying to make the situation easier. "Everyone dies eventually."

"This was before his time!" Peach shouted. "And now they're going to declare war! I just _know _it!"

Daisy sighed. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I'm going to help you. My entire army will help. We'll contact the BeanBean Kingdom, and they'll be willing."

Peach's sobbing eased a little. "If this happens, we're going to die. The four of us. There's no way we'll all make it alive."

Daisy gave Peach a one-armed hug. "We've made it so far, haven't we? Come on, let's get cleaned up. We're both red as tomatoes."

* * *

Mario didn't dare even breath. Luigi stood, eyes wide and face white as a sheet, staring straight ahead. Something, though, about the Koopa Troopa seemed awfully familiar, from the spiked eggshell he wore on his head and his bat wings.

"Jr. Troopa?"

His lips curled into a horrible smile. "Miss me, buddy?" He was older, looking about sixteen at the most.

"But I thought-"

"I'd given up? That I'd let your sorry butt get away with what you did to me? Wrong answer!" The blade pressed lightly onto Luigi's neck, and a line of scarlet shone when he removed it. Luigi gasped shakily. "I joined Bowser, because-"

"Because he's the biggest bully on the playground?"

Jr. Troopa scowled. "Better not be making funny remarks with your pal in this position."

"Mario! Just go to the castle! I'll be fine, just-" Jr. Troopa grabbed him around the neck, and they both fell to the ground, punching and kicking. Mario joined in, and both did their best to beat the persistent underling once and for all.

Finally, with a few blows to the head, he seemed disoriented enough for them to make a break for it. They ran as fast as they could, and closed the heavy wooden door behind them.

As soon as the door fell into place with a loud _clunk, _Luigi gave a cry and fell to the floor, clutching his arm. his sleeve was ripped, and red blood dripped from between his fingers.

"Luigi! Oh my God!" He dropped down to his level and offered a hand to help him up.

"I can manage myself..." He struggled to his feet, gasping. At that moment, Peach and Daisy rushed in.

"Oh my _God, _look at you two!" Daisy ran up to them and helped Luigi to his feet. "We'll have the nurse patch you up."

"I should have made sure there where no spies!" Peach sobbed, her hands halfway to her face.

"Peach, you're a mess. You should take something to calm you down," Mario suggested, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Nothing else bad is going to happen. Me and Luigi will see to that."

Peach put a hand to his face, and he was surprised when her glove came away with a red stain. "It was Jr. Troopa, remember him? He grew up, and he had a knife."

"What?" Peach's expression was more suprised than afraid. They had both thought of him as a more comical child with a grudge than someone who actually posed a threat. "He's just a kid, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is." Mario sighed. "Darkland is going to declare war soon. We can fight them off, me and Luigi."

"Peach gave a start. "No, you can't! We need an army for this. They probably have tons of new allies!"

"We've beaten them so many times befo-"

"Why can't you realize that this is different?!" Peach all but screamed. With her face red and her eyes still damp, she looked quite deranged.

The silence was filled with Mario and Peach staring each other down and Luigi and Daisy standing around awkwardly.

"Me and Luigi are going to go to the nurse," Daisy said, grabbing Luigi's good arm.

"What? I don't need to-"

"Me and _Luigi _are going to go see the _nurse," _she said a little more forcefully, pulling him out of the room. As they exited, Mario heard Daisy hiss, _"Don't bug the older brother when he's fighting with his girlfriend."_

The last thing Mario wanted to do right now was make Peach upset. He wanted to hold her, to tell her everything would be okay.

Peach rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. A worried expression crossed her face. "Things were going so well. And now..." She groaned. "Bowser will probably mean business. I spent a month with him last time I was kidnapped, and he seemed really pissed."

"It must be hell, having to spend that much time with him," Mario said, trying not to look directly at her.

"It's not that bad. He wouldn't hurt me, I know that." Peach shrugged, for no reason she could find, and stared out a fancy, large window. "I love you. But everything's going wrong. Toad..."

Mario wrapped his fingers in her hair. It was soft, but slightly tangled from being mussed up. He didn't know when they had begun to fold their arms around each other, but soon their faces where inches away, and Mario could hear Peach's shaky breath in his ear.

She was losing everything. Her Kingdom was collapsing under the weight of its enemies, people were probably dying while they stood here, or being hurt. Hell, Toad was already dead. Toad, he knew, was Peach's advisor, trusted ally, and best friend. She was plauged with the thoughts that she, too, or perhaps he, Luigi, and Daisy would die over the course of this. He knew they would not. They had already been through so much. They had survived almost every possible situation, and climed incredible heights to get to where they were. Fate was not that cruel, was it?

Without warning, the castle moved in a sudden, jarring movement that made small crumbs of stone fall from the ceilings. Peach and Mario jumped apart, looking around wildly. Outside the window where enemy troops. Swarms and swarms of them.

The castle was under attack.


	7. Farewell, My Friend

**I'm actually really proud of this chapter. This is where things start getting intense. And M-rated.**

**I once dreamed of owning these characters and watching them run around on my desk, but sadly, they belong to Nintendo.  
**

Kamak was glad to finally take of the rough costume. The troops had lined up in Town Square, awaiting instruction. Kamak raised an eyebrow.

"You gave us away much too quickly." He spoke slowly and deliberately. "King Koopa will be sorely disappointed."

"Indeed he will be."

Every head turned in the direction of the familiar, gruff voice. Bowser, tall and menacing as ever, stood there with his arms crossed, scowling. He walked to the front of the group slowly. "There's gonna be some changes in the plan, so listen up! I want the Troopas, Goombas and Hammer Bros to go to the residential areas. Paras and Spike Tops, to the shops. As for the rest of you, I'll be with you in the castle. Leave the princess and that red nuisance for me, but kill anyone else that gets in your way. But first," he growled, glaring at every face. "tell me. Who gave us away?" His voice held a pleasant undertone, but even more malicious ones mixed in. "Speak up!"

The crowd was silent, too scared to even breath.

"Well," Bowser said quietly, but the soldiers caught every word. "nobody's going to come clean."

"It was him, King Koopa, sir!" A Paratroopa's voice rang out in the heavy silence. He pointed at a Hammer Bro, who was sweating profusely and keeping his head down.

"Hammer Bro, what's your name?"

"H-Hector K-K-Koopa, sir."

"Come here."

He hesitated, glued to the ground with terror, then letting his tense shoulders fall and walking slowly to the king. Bowser stared at him. "Would you be so kind as to tell me what you were thinking when you acted so rashly?"

"I was getting r-rid of him," Hector stuttered. "H-he was vermin, a-and close to the princess, a-and I thought it would b-be best i-if-"

In one swift movement, Bowser's clawed hand had struck the Hammer Bro on the head. The force of the blow sent him tumbling into a street lamp, which he collided head-on with. He fell to the ground, and the crowd recoiled when a puddle of blood oozed out from under his unmoving body.

"Let this be a lesson to the rest of you!" Bowser shouted. "We have entered war! This is what happens to weaklings who do not follow orders! This is what will happen to all of _you _if you set one _toe _out of line! And trust me," Bowser let his voice drop. "I _will _find out."

Silence rang in every Koopa's ears. Even Kamak was intimidated.

"You know the plan. Go."

* * *

"You have to hide." Mario grabbed Peach's hand and directed her through the castle.

"Are you nuts?" Peach screamed, wrenching her hand out of his grip.

"It's _you _they're after!" Mario insisted.

"Bowser wants to kill you!"

At that moment, Luigi and Daisy came rushing through the doorway, each extremely panicked. Luigi looked as if he might faint. "We're going to _die!" _Luigi shouted, staring at the shaking castle doors.

"We're _not _going to die!" Daisy yelled back.

"We need people to fight!" Mario said above the loud noise.

"I'm fighting," Luigi responded, straightening his posture a little bit.

"I'm going to Sarasaland to gather allies," Daisy said, clenching her fists.

"Wait." Mario took Peach's hand. "Come with me. You guys go ahead."

"Mario, I'm staying and fighting with-" But Mario had already started walking, over to the dungeon doors, down the stairs. The cool, underground air engulfed them, and their faces became silhouettes.

"Peach-"

"Mario," Peach interrupted before he could get a word out. "I understand. I know you have my best interest at heart, but this is _my _kingdom. I want to fight. It's my duty as a ruler."

"I knew you were going to say that." His voice was so lifeless compared to her anxious squeaking. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

In the pitch blackness, she felt his hands take hers. "You know what for."

"That's just like you, to take credit for everything."

"Yeah, I guess so." They had been subconsciously leaning forward the whole time, and their lips met. This kiss was unlike any other their had shared, for it had the sense of foreboding that it could be their last. They never wanted the moment to end, they wanted the world to go away...

Eventually, the world came back in the form of a jarring blow to the castle that could only be enemy troops. They broke apart. "Stay here," Mario insisted.

"No, I-"

_"Please," _he pleaded.

Her shoulders sagged. "For a while."

Mario gave her a quick hug, and, as Peach's eyes had adjusted somewhat, she saw his shadow tip his hat in a flamboyant manner. She laughed as he ran up the stairs, and slid into a sitting position. Resting her head in her hand, she waited.

* * *

The Transport Room was a room in the castle not many people knew about, but it was often how Daisy arrived from Sarasaland, or, in this case, went back. She leaned against the blue warp pipe, Luigi standing next to her.

"Well... Goodbye," Luigi muttered, half raising his hand. He didn't know why Daisy still made him so nervous. He had known her for so long.

"Shut up, you know I'm coming back as soon as I can," Daisy replied, trying to look at him as little as possible.

Luigi sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. Why couldn't he think of any good lines? "Daisy-"

Daisy took his face in her hands and kissed him. Luigi was momentarily stunned, but returned it with just as much enthusiasm. Daisy whispered in his ear, "You know I love you, right?"

"I love you Daisy," he said back, holding her close.

"Neither of us are going to die. And once we're through with this, I'm going to marry you."

Luigi smiled. "There's my motivation."

Daisy chuckled and pulled away. She waved one last time and jumped into the pipe. Luigi stared after her, feeling as if he were floating. The waiting soldiers that wouldn't hesitate to kill him all seemed far, far away, like he was in a different lifetime.

A hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality. Mario stood there. "Daisy's gone?"

Luigi nodded, glancing at him and smiling widely. "I think everything's going to turn out fine."

"Is that why you're crying?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Mario sighed. "Well, this is it, I guess."

"Do you ever think of what our lives would've been like if we'd stayed in Brooklyn?"

"All the time, but this isn't the time for that. Right now, we have to be strong. And lucky," Mario added.

"The very definition of a New Yorker," Luigi said triumphantly, punching the air.

"Well, we have a chance now, I guess." They walked to the wooden doors and, fearing the worst but not as scared as they had been, pushed them open.

The town square was in chaos. Koopa Troopas of every size, shape, and species ran ramped, attacking Mushroomers and setting fire to buildings. Rubble lay all over the ground, blood splattered the walls. What surprised them was the castle.

Its white marble, once so magnificent, was stained with soot and dirt. Huge sections of stone were missing from the top altogether, and they could see Peach's bedroom from where they stood. The once proud Mushroom Kingdom flag was missing, the flag pole bent and dented, and Luigi felt a strange sorrow when he saw it torn in three pieces at his feet.

It was not long before someone cried, "It's the Mario brothers!" In an instant, it seemed as if the whole army was on top of them, some brandishing weapons and others using to use their fists. Mario and Luigi punched and kicked, but there were too many swarming around, forcing them into the rough stone ground-

It all came to an abrupt halt when a cross between a _bang _and a _pop _somehow forced everyone away. When they looked toward the source, Kamak Magikoopa stood there, holding up his wand. "I beleive there was specific instructions to leave the red one for the king?" He walked closer, and though they could not see his eyes from behind his thick glasses, they knew he was looking at Luigi. _"You, _however, I got no such orders." He pointed his wand right between his eyes and smirked.

* * *

Peach was getting tired of waiting. She sighed and, for what seemed like the hundredth time, traced the patterns of the cracks in the stone walls. She stood up, and said to herself, "I'm going. I don't care what anyone says."

"Headstrong as always."

The very blood in her veins froze. There was no mistaking that voice. "What do you want?"

"I think you know _exactly _what I want."


	8. Hostage Situation

**Here's a supa-long chapter. Sorry for the long wait.**

**Your new task is to try and name the Harry Potter spells Kamak uses.**

Luigi stood completely still. His eyes crossed trying to look at the wand pointed between his eyes. Kamak smirked, daring either of them to make a move. Mario grabbed the wand. Kamak held onto it for a moment, then let go. "Ah, you want my wand? But you don't know how to use it."

Mario pointed it at him. They didn't have much time. He would have to act fast. Enemies were swarming around them. "I don't have to."

In one sudden motion, Mario threw the heavy wand at Kamak. It hit him square on the head, and he took his sudden moment of shock to land as many blows as possible. Kamak stumbled back a few steps, then shook his head. He reached out his hand, and his wand came flying into it. Lashing it out, an explosion of red light hit Mario, who slammed into the shop wall, unconscious.

"Mario!" Luigi turned back to Kamak, raising his fists.

"What, do you fear me?" Kamak asked, his once pleasant demeanor disappearing entirely as he advanced, sparks flying from the end of his wand. "Because you would be right to."

* * *

Peach was completely silent, not even breathing, as if not uttering a sound would erase her existence entirely. She stared into darkness, willing her eyes to adjust faster so she could have some idea of where Bowser was.

"Come on, Peachie," the low, purring voice said. "I'm only here to take what's rightfully mine."

"Nothing in this kingdom is rightfully yours." She wasn't aware that she was shaking until it let up a little. She felt a cold, scaly hand on her neck. She tried to pull away and run, even though she could not see in any direction, when another closed tightly around her wrist.

"Don't be like this, Peach." His voice was right in her ear now, and it was no longer purring. "If you cooperate, everything will go smoothly. Nobody else will die. And you and I will be married."

Peach cried out and struggled against his grip, but she was not strong enough. "Let me go, you lowlife _scum! _I'll never-"

"What, do you want the rest of your citizens to go the same way as your buddy Toad?"

Peach went limp. "Y-you wouldn't," she whimpered, half crying.

"Oh, but I already have. While you've been camping out in the basement, people have been dying. Are you deaf to them? Do you even care?" Bowser's voice rose with each word, and his grip on the princess tightened.

Tears poured down her cheeks and splattered on the dungeon floor. Her quiet sobs sounded ten times louder in the empty room.

"What do you want?"

"Like I said before." He turned her around roughly, and Peach saw, having adjusted somewhat to the intense darkness, saw the king's smirking face. "You know _exactly _what I want."

* * *

"Do you think we should kill-?"

"You heard the king! Do you wanna end up like ol' Hector?"

"No! _No!"_

"Then _keep moving!"_

Mario heard muffled voices as he slowly came to. For a few moments he didn't know where he was, or what he was supposed to be doing, or why he was under a pile of rubble. But pretty soon the situation hit him, full force, and he sprang to his feet. It was worse, much worse than he expected. The fierce fires that raged on buildings felt warm from where he stood, thick smog drifting in the air and filling his lungs. Part of the castle lay in ruins, and many other points showed obvious signs of having been attacked. The foul odor of blood and decay was present, and he was horrified to see corpses lying in the gutter, of Mushroom and Koopa troops alike.

His first thought was wondering frantically where Luigi could be. With him knocked out, how had he fared against Kamak? He was such a powerful Magikoopa... Had Luigi even stood a chance?

The bottom of his stomach disappeared. What if Luigi had died?

He ran for the castle as fast as he could, knocking people out of his way. He _had _to be there. Where else would he be?

He let out a breath. At least Peach was safe.

* * *

Luigi didn't know what he could do. Fighting Kamak had been nearly impossible to survive, and, needless to say, he had lost. He had been locked under the castle with a promise from Kamak that he would be finished off later. He was drained, and injured. His leg was bleeding and his head was throbbing, innumerable cuts and scratches covering his face. He had called Peach's name a few times, but received no response.

He stared at the ceiling wondering how everything could have gone so horribly, horribly wrong. He was not going to survive, he could feel it. It was the same feeling he always got when something bad was going to happen. He would never see his family, friends, or Daisy ever again.

Daisy.

He held his face in his hands. Daisy was actually willing to _marry _him. And now he would never even get to hold her, or kiss her, or tell her he loved him in the rest of his lifetime. He let out a few dry sobs.

An ear-piercing scream rang through the dungeon, magnified ten times as it rebounded off the walls. Oh, he had heard that scream too many times. It ended in a pitiful whimper. Luigi stood and clutched the bars of his cell. He couldn't even help his best friend.

He was forced to sit and listen as Peach screamed, crying out for help and he and his brother. Luigi let out a cry of frustration, punching the wall. If he died, it served him right.

* * *

Peach lay on the stone floor. It took her a few moments to realize Bowser had gone. She breathed heavily, her hands on her chest, sobs wracking her body. Her plans never went through. Somebody always ruined them...

She sat up, clutching the torn fragments of her dress to her body. She had the strange sense that it had been a dream, but knew it couldn't be. It was too real... Too horrible...

She had always dreamed of saving her virginity for someone special, and as time went on, that person came to be Mario. What would she say to him? Bowser had taken the one thing she thought she could hold onto.

Her hand slammed onto the cold stone, and she gave in to the sobs building up in her chest.

* * *

Mario ran to the Transportation Room. Sarasaland troops were already marching out of it. A few waved to him as he passed. Mario had no time to stop for anything. He slid to a stop right in front of Daisy.

"Mario! Why are you here, isn't there a-"

"Daisy, I can't find Luigi."

Daisy's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She turned to the soldiers still coming fast out of the warp pipe. The last few walked out. "Men!" Daisy shouted. Every face turned to attention. "I want you to go out into the square and attack the Koopa soldiers. Don't let up! This is war!" She dismissed them with a wave of her hand. They hurried out until they were the only two in the room.

"Are you sure?" Daisy was panicked. Her hands shook. "Is he-?"

"No, he can't be," Mario insisted. "If you were Bowser, where would you take him?"

"I don't _know!" _Daisy shrieked. "We just have to find him! If we don't... I..." She let out a yell and slapped her hands to her face.

"Daisy!" Mario said urgently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I feel the same way, but we're not going to accomplish anything if we don't keep our heads straight!" Daisy removed her hands, and tears streaked her face. Mario was very surprised. He had never seen Daisy cry, but here she was, lower lip quivering and tears dripping from her eyes.

"Daisy. Everything's going to be fine."

She nodded and did her best to smile. "What about Peach? Where's she?"

"I told her to stay in the dungeons. Nobody would think to look there."

"Mario!" Daisy smacked him in the head. When Mario gave her a look of surprise, she elaborated. "The underground power-up store is there. Wouldn't they be looking for that?"

Mario's stomach felt like it had disappeared. How could he have been so incredibly stupid? Of _course _they would be down there! What if... Mario couldn't waste time thinking. He dashed out the door, vaguely hearing Daisy follow after him. He took the dungeon stairs three at a time, landing at the bottom and almost crashing into the opposite wall.

"Peach!" he shouted, just as Daisy entered beside him. "Daisy, Luigi might be down here, go look for him! Go!"

Daisy nodded and, kicking off her heels, sprinted down a long passageway. Mario ran the other way, shouting Peach's name. Only after a while did he hear a quiet, weak, "I'm over here!"

Mario's feet couldn't keep up with the speed his brain was moving. He went through about a thousand different possibilities of what he would find when he found Peach, but nothing could have prepared him for it.

She was curled up against the stone wall, her knees up against her chest and her head down on them. Her dress was torn, her crown missing and her hair tangled. She had cuts and bruises all around her arms and legs. She lifted her head, and her eyes were red and puffy as ever, tears falling like waterfalls from her eyes.

Mario ran and fell to his knes in front of her. With a shaking hand, he touched her shoulder lightly. "W-what happen-?"

But before he could finish his sentence, she threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shirt, shaking like a leaf. Mario hugged her tightly, shuddering himself. They reluctantly let go, Peach slouching against the stone, tight-lipped and wide eyed.

"I'll kill him." Mario's voice was quiet and steady through his clenched teeth, but his fists were shaking. "I'll kill him with my bare hands."

"Mario." Peach stared at him with watery eyes. "I'm sorry."

Mario jumped to his feet. "Sorry? Why would you be sorry? It's my fault, and you know it is." He paced back and forth jerkily. "I told you to stay down here. I left you here without a second thought. It's _my damn fault! _This- This is-"

Peach silenced him with a quick peck on the cheek. "Okay. I won't lie, or sugar-coat things. It _is _your fault."

Mario buried his face in his hands and sank to the floor. "I'm so, so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. But my apologizing isn't going to do anything."

"Mario, I've lost any will to blame anyone. I just... I just want to leave. Or go back. Or die."

He shook, but it was more like a single, shuddering twitch. He looked up from his hands to see Peach's now dry face staring into his own.

"Never say that. None of us are going to die." Peach immediately knew he was speaking of Luigi and Daisy.

"I don't think we're all going to make it. And I'm not just talking about our lives. What about losing our sanity, or getting gravely injured, or..." She trailed off nervously, not wanting to say the forbidden word that would send her into tears yet again.

Mario kissed her affectionately. Peach returned the kiss, but broke off when it deepened. "Not now."

* * *

Daisy bolted, her bare feet occasionally stepping on a pebble or twig, but she ignored it. Luigi could be in far worse danger. "Weege! _Weege!"_

"Daze!" This reply caught her off-guard, it being hard for her to see in the dark, and she skidded to a stop. But sure enough, Luigi was there in the cell next to her. She put a hand on the cold bars and tried to see through the darkness, to no avail.

"Weege," she said breathlessly, still recovering from the sprint. "What are you doing? How'd you get here?"

"Well, believe it or not, I got in a fight."

She laughed, a bit more than necessary, as she always did when she was nervous. Retrieving a bobby pin from her hair, she began work picking the lock. "Mario left to go find Peach. I'm really worried. What is Bowser got to her first?"

Luigi gulped loudly. He hesitated, the only noises the clicks from Daisy's hair pin. "I heard her screaming. I don't know what Bowser was doing to her, but I couldn't do anything." He covered his eyes with one hand as his voice began to shake slightly. "It was just... awful."

The lock gave a final _click _and fell to the ground with a clatter. The door swung open, and Daisy threw her arms around him in a bear hug. "Luigi?"

"Yeah?"

"There was nothing you could have done. Nothing."

"I could have broken out. But I wasn't strong enough."

Daisy backed up slightly to look him in the eyes. "It's no use to say things like that, okay? And... and whatever happens, all four of us are still going to be friends."

Luigi half-smiled. "Yeah."

"And, I was serious. When we get out of this mess, I'm marrying you."

"What, do I have a choice?"

"No," Daisy said simply.

"That's good, because I wasn't going to give you a choice either," Luigi replied, pulling her closer for a kiss, albiet one that didn't last more than three seconds, for at that moment, they sensed someone's prescence behind them. They pulled apart quickly.

"Some people are _so _thick." Luigi felt something hard and heavy hit against his head, then everything went black.

**Holyshit, we're getting into the thick of things, are we not?**

**Reviews make me a happy person, even flames.  
**


	9. Loss of the Hero

**Hello, beautiful people. Here's a brand spankin' new chapter for you. Please don't kill me over what happens. I know many of you are fans of this particular character.  
**

**Bowser's not gone, he'll crop up later in this chapter. He, along with everyone else, belongs to Nintendo. Legelimens, however, belongs to Harry Potter.  
**

Mario and Peach got to their feet, walking down the stone corridor. Peach's crying had subsided somewhat, and she was at least able to speak without gasping. Mario felt slightly guilty for not crying despite everything that had happened. It made him feel insensitive when all three of his closest friends were reduced to tears, and he just stood there.

"Where are Daisy and Luigi?" Peach asked, looking around as if she expected one of them to jump out from behind a lamp.

"Daisy went to go find Weege. They're both fine, don't worry," Mario assured her. "And Sarasaland's troops have arrived, so that'll be a lot of help."

"Oh, that's wonderful," Peach said, and Mario could sense the relief and thankfulness in her tone.

* * *

Luigi groggily came to, and realized he was in a brightly lit room, contrary to the dark murkiness of the dungeon. He blinked, realizing his eyes were pointed right at a fluorescent light, just like the kind at the dentist's office. He brought his hand up to cover his eyes. Or at least, he tried to, but found he could not move any of his limbs. Looking to his right, he saw his left hand chained to the floor.

As his mind cleared, it slowly escalated into panic. Where was he? Where was Daisy? And for that matter, where were Mario and Peach?

With whatever limited motion his head was allowed, he glanced around. The room was square and white, and vaugely familiar, he thought it might be a room in the castle. It looked almost sterile, like a room in a hospital, and completely white.

"Daisy?" He looked as far as he could to his right, and saw Daisy in is peripheral vision, in the same situation as he, but she had not yet regained consciousness. "Anyone here?"

"Yes?"

Luigi nearly jumped out of his skin, but regained composure quickly. "Kamak. You coward! What, you can't fight me again so you chain me up?"

He heard a light chuckle. "You're very amusing. Consider that the only reason you're still alive."

"What are you talking about? I can take you."

"And look where you are now. I have defeated much stronger men than you. You are weak, and a fool for even considering for a second that you could defeat me." Luigi could imagine there being a smirk on his face. He was at a loss for what to say for a few minutes, until the terrible dawning of reality arrived.

"So you're going to kill me?" he said, hoping he sounded braver than he felt; he almost couldn't hear his own voice from the blood pounding in his ears.

"Yes."

Luigi's mind went into overdrive, and he started breathing very fast. "Just- j-just please leave D-Daisy, please!"

"Well, we're suddenly being quite polite, aren't we?" There was a laugh in his voice.

He was beyond terrified. He was staring death in the face, and felt that if Kamak didn't kill him first, his rapidly beating heart would. Would his life really end here, on the floor of some unknown room? He would never see the end of the war, or get married, or start a family, or see his best friends and brother again. He had so much life left to live, so much unfinished... Daisy was going to marry him. _Daisy was going to marry him. _No matter how many times he repeated it to himself, he couldn't fully register it. And now he would never get to. He thought of the beautiful wedding they might have had... the house they might have lived in... the children they might have had... the old age they might have grown to, together...

"Please," Luigi begged, his voice cracking. If he didn't get to be happy, Daisy should. He got an unpleasant visual image of Daisy walking down the aisle with a tall, faceless stranger.

"I am not one to be sympathetic."

"Please!" He shouted so loud, he wouldn't be surprised if he could be heard throughout the entire castle.

* * *

"Did you hear something?" Peach said, looking around curiously.

"Yeah," Mario replied, thinking he heard something slightly familiar. Was that his brother, yelling? "Was that Weege?"

"I think so," Peach said shortly, then began to run up the stone steps. Mario followed her up into the light.

When they reached the upper floor, the moonlight shining through the windows threw Peach's wounds into even greater relief than in the pitch blackness of the dungeon. Her face was puffy and red, with random scratches around her cheeks. Her shoulders and upper arms were bruised with thumb prints and claw marks, still bleeding. Her dress was tattered in some places, her top almost completely gone, and she was limping slightly.

Mario wanted to be sick right there. He almost wished they were back in the dungeon so he wouldn't have to face the fact that this had actually happened. He took a few deep breaths, working uo his courage, and spoke again. "Yeah, we should go look for him. Luigi and Daisy might be in trouble."

Peach nodded, and led the way through the labyrinth of rooms Mario had never quite gotten used to. Every once and a while they reached a section of wall or ceiling that had been blown away, or blood splattering a carpet, or, even worse, the corpse of one of their own men. They could hear the battle continuing throughout the other floors, but not anywhere near where they were. The entire floor seemed to be deserted.

"Why's no one here?" Mario wondered aloud to himself.

"No important rooms are down here. We keep all the valuables on the upper floors," Peach explained. "Well, expect for the power-up store. Bowser's probably already gotten to that." Her voice sounded despaired and hollowed.

Mario tried to change the subject. "I think I heard it coming from that direction." He pointed down a long corridor where the light seemed to get brighter as it got closer to a single door.

Peach looked at Mario, and he looked back. They took a breath, and ran down the hall at top speed.

* * *

Luigi knew his time was running short. He could think of absolutely no way to get out of this.

He heard footsteps as Kamak walked toward him. His old face came into view, shading some of the bright light. Kamak pointed his wand straight at Luigi's heart. "Now, half of the nuisance on our proud nation will be destroyed." There was a flash of red light, and everything went black.

* * *

Mario and Peach burst into the room, and a gruesome sight met their eyes. Kamak stood, wand raised, at one end of the room. Near the far wall was Daisy, unconscious, and bound to the floor. Luigi lay next to her, two deep gashes in his chest, soaked in a puddle of his own blood.

Peach screamed. It was a horrible, loud in the small room. Mario barely heard her. His vocal cords disappeared, and the room spun violently around him, threatening to make him fall.

Then, Kamak did something that brought him back to earth. It was a cruel, vile thing.

He laughed.

Mario ran across the room in a fit of blind rage, attacking every inch of him he could reach. Mario managed to pin him down by the shoulders, and Kamak pointed his wand at his face, but Mario knocked it out of his hand. It slid across the room, hitting the opposite wall with a dull _thunk. _With every blow Mario landed on Kamak, green, reptilian blood oozed from his mouth. Finally, he lay still, unconscious. Peach had to pry Mario off him, her hands shaking hard as ever.

They sat facing each other, Peach with such a horrid look of despair on her face that his knees went weak. He felt physically sick, his chest weighted down by some invisible source. His breathing was ragged and shallow, and he knew that if he tried to speak he wouldn't be able to.

Peach spoke through her sobs. "Is- is Daisy-?"

Mario grabbed Daisy's wrist, almost missing because his hands were shaking so much. He held his breath, then let it out when he felt the steady beating of her pulse under his thumb. He nodded. Peach let out a long sigh, and covered her face in her hands. "Luigi..." she moaned.

Mario took Luigi's wrist, hoping that by some miracle that he was still alive, and that they could take him to a doctor and everything would be fine... But his skin was cold, and there was no pulse. Mario was flooded with disappointment, though he didn't know what he had been expecting.

He didn't know Peach had embraced him until he heard her breathing in his ear. He just sat there, having no will to move. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, no words having to be exchanged. After a while, Mario finally became aware of something.

He still hadn't cried.

* * *

Kamak found himself running across the corridors. Had he really, really just been beaten by that plumber? Had he been unconscious? Had he left his wand in there by accident? Oh, well, there was no way he could go back now. But how would he fight, or even show his face to anyone again? A Magikoopa without a wand... That was downright humiliating.

He rounded a corner, searching for Bowser. He was not at all up to date on the battle plan, and knew Bowser would have correct information. It was not long before he ran into him.

"Bowser! There you are," Kamak said, stepping back a little in surprise.

Bowser had arrived, looking quite sure of himself. He smiled in a strange way as he said, "Hello, Kamak."

Kamak was curious. He was a very powerful wizard, and can perform what is called Legelimency, or the art of reading someone's mind. He delved into Bowsers, searching through his memories of the last few hours. He came back to reality, looking skeptical.

"Are you trying to fill a void?"

"Void?" Bowser said, looking almost convincingly innocent. "What void?"

"The gaping void Lady left when she left you," Kamak replied matter-of-factly. "Don't try and deny it, Bowser! It was glaringly obvious, and you know it!"

Bowser sighed and looked away. He crossed his arms and closed his mouth tightly. Kamak was reminded of the tantrums he used to have as a child, when he would run off and pout, staring out the window, sometimes teasing the other children. Kamak wondered if this was the same thing to him, just on a much larger scale.

Finally, he spoke. "I was... fond of Lady."

"You were in love with her, that was plain."

"Things change. Look at the Mushroom Kingdom!" He laughed loudly, gesturing around with a huge, clawed hand. "Forty-eight hours ago, people were sitting on their patios, enjoying tea! Now they're enjoying a nice dirt nap!"

There was a ringing silence. Kamak raised an eyebrow. "Does it make you feel big, picking on the little kids at the playground?"

Before Bowser could think of an answer, Kamak disappeared.


	10. He's Gone

**...Erm, I just realized that "Kamak" is actually spelled "Kamek." But I think it's too late to change that now. Ah well.**

Bowser stood in the red-carpeted room, staring into space. The more he thought about everything that had happened, the harder it was to believe it was real. It was true, he was always thinking of ways he could top himself, always trying to get ahead. But Kamak was making him seem like some sort of... monster. And he wasn't, was he?

Everything he did, everything he tried, he thought of Lady. He had an unconventional love for her. No matter how many times he fought with her, he still loved her. Was his subconscious, somewhere deep, deep down, thinking that this could get her back? Or get his parents together? The reasoning side of his brain knew this was impossible. He was far into this, and there was no turning back now. He thought of the people he killed, the families he tore apart, the lives he ruined. Oddly, he felt no remorse. Every last life in this kingdom deserved it.

They were vermin. That was what it all came down to. The Mushroom people were horrible, greedy people and deserved to die. They had deprived his kingdom of its basic human rights for as long as he could remember, and it was time for revenge.

With these final thoughts, he stood a little straighter. He turned, and started to march down the stairs into the dungeon. He knew for a fact that the underground power store was damn huge.

* * *

Mario finally stood, and without a word walked to the other side of the room and picked up Kamak's wand. He held it up, not even sure he would be able to speak without vomiting. He held his lips tightly together, trying to communicate without words. Peach, apparently understanding, nodded and took the wand from him.

"S-should come in h-handy," she said shakily, slipping it into one of her deep dress pockets. She walked up to the still unconscious Daisy and began working at removing the ropes. Mario came and helped her. It kept their hands busy and gave them an excuse to do something for ten minutes.

When Daisy was free, Peach leaned in and whispered her name a few times, shaking her shoulder. Finally, her eyes flickered open.

"Huh? Wh... What happened?" She squinted around the room, then sat up. When she saw Luigi's corpse on the floor, her eyes grew wide, and she let out an unearthly shriek.

"No! NO!" She sprang up, and was probably going to go on a rampage if Mario and Peach didn't restrain her. She let out a long string of incomprehensible words through sobs, fighting against their arms. Finally, perhaps due to exhaustion, she collapsed in a heap, hiccuping. "Those fucking lowlifes," she said through her teeth, with so much malice you could almost see it hanging in the air, "are going to _pay."_

* * *

Kamak walked. To where? Well, he would find out when he got there. He could not go back and retrieve his wand, so he could no longer fight. He was royally screwed either way he looked at it. He was completely powerless without his wand, and if Bowser found out, he...

Wait, why would he be afraid of Bowser? He was ten times more powerful, and could take him with one hand tied behind his-

Oh. Right. His _wand._

He had always thought himself smart, but there was no solution to this. Perhaps he could go back to Koopa Kastle, steal one of the childrens' wands...? No, too much time, too much risk. Go to Bowser and hope for the best?

Well, that seemed like the only option.

* * *

Mario was so grief-stricken, he didn't know what to do. He supposed he could stand up, face the music, and go kill Bowser, but he just had no will. There was a lead weight in the pit of his stomach.

Luigi was dead. He was gone. Forever. And he wasn't coming back. Ever. He forcibly thought back to all the times he could have been a better brother, a better friend. He remembered all the times he had hated him just because their parents grouped them together, because of their closeness in age. All the times he left him home on adventures, all the times he got angry at him for something that wasn't his fault. And the last 48 hours, when he hadn't beleived him, or even cared. In fact, if he had listened to Luigi, he wouldn't be dead, and they wouldn't be in this mess! They wouldn't even be in this world, they'd be back in Brooklyn, earning a living with their plumbing business!

He didn't realize Peach was saying his name until she had called it three times. "Mario? A-are you.. Are you okay?"

Daisy shot maliciously from behind her, "What the _hell _do you think?" He felt like saying the same thing, though Daisy sounded purposely cruel.

Peach buried her face in her hands, looking as if she was trying very hard to not cry again. When she spoke, her voice was steady. "I'm sorry.. I-I just..."

"You just didn't know what to say?" he finished, his voice coming out much higher pitched than he'd intended. "That's okay." He sounded louder, and steadier than he'd thought.

Peach removed her hands, staring in space for a few moments. Then, she gave up and latched onto Mario's neck, sobbing loudly into his shoulder. Through her hair, Mario saw Daisy cross her arms and roll her eyes. After a few moments, she stood.

"This is ridiculous." Mario and Peach stared at her as she gave them a scathing look, and left the room.

* * *

Daisy sighed heavily. She had stopped crying, but only because she felt like there was a huge crack in her emotional state. She wanted to be sad, but she was only angry. She didn't know who to place blame on.

Mario and Peach, who, if they had come in time, could have saved him? Kamak, who had killed him? Bowser, who didn't lay a hand on him, but had caused this whole mess? She shuddered, wondering how many more people were dead. And it was Bowser's fault.

She let out a cry of frustration. What could she do? She doubted she was even strong enough to face him.

"Daize?"

Peach had appeared at her side, wearing a curious expression. Daisy didn't want to talk to anyone, and almost let out a rude remark, but restrained herself.

"What are you doing here?" she inquired, trying to keep the accusatory tone out of her voice.

"Just wanted to see how you were holding up."

Daisy crossed her arms. "My fiancé is dead." Her voice cracked and broke on the last word, expression crumpling as she began to cry. Peach wrapped her arms around her, allowing her to stain her shoulder with tears.

Finally, she pulled away. "We have to go stop him."

Peach nodded. Mario had appeared in the doorway, looking expectantly at them. Peach took his hand.

Daisy felt like a fifth wheel. Her heart felt stabbed, thinking about how she would never love again. Mario's voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Are we leaving him here?"

Daisy had been wondering the same thing. She didn't know what they would do with him, but if they left him here, what would happen?

Peach shrugged half-heartedly. "What would we do?"

Mario half raised his arms. "We can't just leave him here. What if Koopa gets here?"

There was a ringing silence, as nobody knew how to answer Mario's words. Finally, Peach threw up her arms, and sighed heavily. "I don't know. There's nothing we can do." Her voice cracked. They all took one last look at the room, Mario lingering by the door, then walked slowly through the corridor, in silence.

Finally, Mario broke it, his voice quieter than before. "I'm the last of my family now." His hands were shoved in his pockets; he was staring at the floor. He looked lost. "If I had gotten there in time, he would still be alive." It scared Daisy, how steady his voice was, how he hadn't yet cried.

"Don't say that," Peach ordered.

There was a pressing silence for a few minutes as they made their way down the hall. Daisy stared at the ornate chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. They were much too beautiful for these times.

Suddenly, Daisy was shook from her thoughts with a loud crash. She looked at the source of the noise, and saw that Mario had punched the wall, leaving a small dent. He looked back at the princesses, breathing heavily.

"Dammit! I _give up!" _he shouted, looking quite crazed. "What's the point of fighting if everyone's going to keep dying? At least if we give up, everyone stays alive!"

"Mario! Stop talking like that," Peach said loudly, her hands half-raised as if to grab his shoulders.

"Why? You know it's true!" Mario's voice broke, and tears spilled over his face. "Luigi's not the first, and he won't be the last! Why not stop now? If we don't, we're going to die! We're all going to _die!"_

"There are worse things than death. Bowser will run the kingdom if we surrender!" Peach reasoned, looking quite hopeless. "Besides, you know he wants to kill you and me no matter what."

Mario, apparently, had no reply. He leaned against the wall, sliding to a sitting position. He held his head in his hands, gasping as he tried to stifle his sobs. Peach crouched next to him, putting a hand on his back, her eyes looking misty.

"Just let it all out," Peach said, sounding as if she were talking to a small child.

Daisy came to sit beside them, head resting on Mario's quivering shoulder. She stared at the floor, analyzing every fiber in the rug. She still found it hard to beleive that Luigi was gone forever, erased from the planet, _dead. _Maybe, maybe, he was just hiding, or playing a prank. What a sick, sick joke.

Her mind lingered on the fact that, if Mario and Peach hadn't stepped in, she would have shared the same fate as Luigi. She shivered. How close had she come to dying? Had Kamak already pointed his wand at her when they had burst into the room?

She let out a long, quiet sigh, and gave Mario's arm a squeeze. "Thank you," she muttered into his ear. "I would have died too if you hadn't come in."

Mario shrugged, rather than answering. Daisy stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, are we going to kick Koopa's sorry ass or what?"

**I'll start on the next chapter now. I'm enjoying myself.**


	11. Utter Defeat

**Erm, I haven't been getting any reviews at all. It's just a little button you have to click. A few words are always good!**

**This is a shorter chapter. Yes indeed. I just wanted to get it out.  
**

This was easy. Much, much too easy.

The door to the power store was wooden, with a flimsy metal lock that was easily broken with his claw. Inside were shelves upon shelves of Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and Power greedily grabbed one, shoving one in his mouth.

The instant it touched his tongue, he felt a strange, powerful sensation spread throughout his body. He felt like he could do anything, sole any problem, even kill the Marios.

It was _wonderful._

He ate and ate, and could feel himself growing taller, expanding, and feeling power surge through his veins. He grabbed a few mushrooms for the trip upstairs, and ran. Finally, after years and years of failure, he was going to win.

* * *

Mario, Peach and Daisy finally got to their feet.

"Bowser must be nearby." Peach cracked her knuckles. "I can tell."

"Good," Mario said heavily, clenching his fists. "I'm going to kill him. He's gone too far this time." Peach nodded, tears still glistening on her cheeks.

Mario felt his sadness slowly ebbing away from him, but fast being replaced by anger. How could Kamak, or Bowser, do this? How could they kill his brother? He would never speak to Luigi again, or go on an adventure with him, or tell him he was sorry for all the times he was a shitty brother.

Suddenly, the floor shook slightly. They took that as their cue to leave.

When they arrived in the main hall, they knew something was off. Sections of the ceiling were missing, and the carpet was torn up and tracked with mud. The area near the dungeon door was caved in, almost like someone had stepped on it with a giagantic foot.

Bowser was standing in the middle of it all, a few feet taller and several inches wider. He had a crazy look in his eyes, and a malicious smile.

"Mario, Peach, Daisy," he greeted, almost conversarionally. "Where's Green Bean?"

A blood vessel in Mario's head seemed to have snapped. He rushed forward, but Bowser almost lazily lashed out a claw and struck the side of his head. Mario saw stars, and he was engulfed in pain. He landed in a pile of rubble.

"Mario, no! He's been in the powerup store!"

Mario saw, through blurred vision, that Peach and Daisy had pressed against the wall, terrified. He longed to help them, but he could barely see.

He chanced a grope at the side of his head. As soon as he did, he wished he hadn't. It seemed as though a large chunk of his scalp was missing. His gloved fingers stung horribly when they touched raw flesh. He stared at his gore-covered hand, horror-struck, almost passing out, when a blow to the abdomen forced him into the ground.

Bowser leaned in close to his face. "Your girlfriend was nice," he muttered, laughing lightly.

"You son of a _bitch!" _he yelled, lashing out his hand, but Bowser caught him by the wrist. He heard the bones break with a sickening crack.

He vaguely saw Daisy rush over and try to yank Bowser's arm away. Bowser shoved her to the side, and she slammed against the wall. The force rendered her unconscious.

Cradling the broken wrist in his good hand, he yelled to his remaining friends.

"Peach! Daisy! Get out of here! Go! I can hold him o-"

Mario was silenced as Bowser struck him right between the eyes. Mario felt intense pain, then nothing. Nothing at all.

* * *

Peach screamed. She had almost thrown up, this sickened her so much.

Mario was laying bloody and broken on the ground, unmoving and unbreathing. Mario? How could he? He was Mario! Mario was invincibe, he never...

No.

He couldn't be.

Her loud cry seemed to have been heard by Bowser. The monster advanced on her, snarling. Peach put her arms above her head and screwed up her face, but the pain she expected did not come. She glanced at Bowser, who just seemed to be staring at her with contempt.

She took a few deep breaths. "Are you going to kill me?" Her voice broke.

Bowser laughed loudly, his voice echoing off the walls. "Not if you marry me."

She fingered the engagement ring Mario had given her, and her body gave an involuntary shake. "You're too late."

Bowser laughed harder, looking back at the mutilated body on the floor. "Till death do you part, right? Well, everything's all set, then."

"What if I kill myself?"

"And leave your kingdom in this state?" Bowser asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to marry me? I'll stop the troops. People will stop dying."

Peach was having an internal struggle. What was her happiness for the happiness of others? It would be an insult to both Mario brothers and Daisy... But the war would stop. She moaned.

"You're coming with me, either way," Bowser said forcefully, grabbing Peach and swinging her over his shoulder. Peach screamed as Bowser dragged her into the dungeon.

* * *

Kamak wandered hopelessly through the castle, searching for Bowser, to no avail. He was beginning to get very pissed, having nothing to do but pace. He wanted to fight for his kingdom, but the war was slowly escalating to downright torture. He was about to reprimand Bowser in his head, until he remembered that he himself had killed Luigi Mario. He stopped dead in his tracks.

He had killed many people before. He did not know why he felt remorse for this one little murder.

He remembered the contempt, the raw hate he saw in Mario's eyes as he attacked him. Peach's shriek, her sobbing. Was it really possible to love someone that much?

As he moseyed into the main hall, he gasped lightly at the ruined ceilings and carpets. He overlooked those as soon as he noticed two unmoving bodies. One was a brunette woman, Daisy, who looked relatively fine. He checked her pulse. Normal. The other was Mario, laying in broken marbel and his own blood. His head was bruised and bloody, and under the gore it looked like part of his ear was missing. His wrist was laying beside him at an awkward angle. His chest had a deep red stain.

He checked Mario's pulse, half knowing there would be nothing, but furrowing his eyebrows when he felt the lightest rythm against his thumb. Well, he certainly wasn't going down easy.

He sighed at what he was about to do, hoisting up Mario under the arms. "Grave injuries, but he can be saved."


	12. Murder Most Foul

**This chapter is _really _long. But stuff happens. Don't kill me, please.**

**Kamak is my new favorite. Again, sorry for misspelling his name, but I fear it's a bit late in the story to change it. **

Kamak sighed. He'd always been a bit apathetic, but who wouldn't be, after living so many years and seeing next to nothing? He was exactly one hundred and twenty-five years old, eleven months, fifteen days, three hours, ten minutes old. The only reason he knew that? He was so damn _bored._

He knew he shouldn't be. He was right in the middle of a war, for God's sake! But having a lot of power gave him few enemies, or at least few people who would try to kill him. They all knew he would blast him into oblivion if they tried, so why bother? And that left him in a constant state of detachment. Why bother if there was nothing to do, nobody to defend himself against?

Bowser was doing nothing for him, and if he confronted him on it, he would surely die, for he no longer had his wand! For Pete's sake, where the hell was that thing, anyhow? If anyone found out he had lost it, he would be open for attack. Which is was he wanted, he guessed. But, what was the fun of battles to the death if you lost them?

Well, no reason to lament any more in his thoughts. He was repulsed by what he was going to do, so he might as well get it over with. Mario's broken body lay in front of him on an operating table. The table lay crooked, as if it had been shoved to the side in a mad attempt to evacuate the castle. He smirked; he had caused that, and now he was betraying his whole kingdom. Ironic.

He looked through the medicine cupboards, slightly disappointed at the lack of supplies. There were a few dusty Super Mushrooms, gauze and bandages, and some small, unlabeled bottles. He rolled his eyes, thinking of his overstocked cupboard back at home, where he would be able to fix him up in two minutes, tops.

He let out a groan of frustration. This would all be so much easier with his wand.

He wouldn't be able to bring Mario back fully with these limited supplies. There was only one thing he could do, but he would have to be pretty damn selfless. He reached into the pocket of his robes, retrieving his Heart Shroom. It was something like life insurance for him, but he thought it would be a while until he died. He would use it to fix Mario.

* * *

Peach screamed and screamed, but she knew that nobody would hear her. All hope was lost, and she would have to marry Bowser. It was the only way to end the war. She let out a sob, thinking about her life with Bowser. The abuse, the long, depressing days, the absence of love.

She tried to cry, but seemed to have run out of tears. She wasn't surprised, she had cried so much already.

Bowser unceremoniously dumped her on the floor, walking a few paces before coming to a halt. "You're such a stupid bitch," he spat.

Peach shrank into the corner. For a few blissful moments, she had forgotten how terrified she was of Bowser, but that thought had vanished.

"I would have everything I ever wanted if it wasn't for you. You do nothing for anybody. I can't believe you would think anyone loves you."

It turned out Peach was wrong, she had more tears left. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, Bowser was very close to her face.

"You can't even save your own kingdom," he said slowly, drawing out each word.

"The kingdom that you're dooming!" she shot back with a sudden burst of courage that evaporated quite quickly.

Bowser grabbed her shoulders violently, holding her against the wall. The since scabbed over cuts on her skin were ripped open again. She winced at the sharpness of his claws, the rottenness of his breath.

"Well, look who's being so defiant!" he hissed into her ear. "I like the feisty ones, didn't you know that?" He was smiling, horribly smiling.

Peach sobbed into her hands, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to pretend she was somewhere else. Nobody was there to save her, many people she cared about were dead. She didn't know what she could do, for with whatever choice she picked, it ended in a life of despair.

Bowser ran his hand down her body, but it came to a halt as it reached her thigh. Re reached inside her pocket; Peach shuddered when the cool scales came in contact with her skin through a hole in her dress. He extracted Kamak's wand, staring at it in disbelief. Peach had forgotten she had had it in all the confusion. "How did you get this?"

When the princess didn't answer, Bowser shook her violently. Her head slammed against the stone wall. "Well?!"

Peach coughed, and and gasped in horror when she tasted blood in her mouth. "K-Kamak dropped it... I thought..."

"No, you didn't! You don't think!" Bowser pointed the wand at her heart. "And now it's going to blow up in your face!"

* * *

Mario saw blotted, muted shapes. Well, he couldn't see anything really, but colors mixing together. He wasn't even sure if his eyes were opened. Hell, he wasn't even sure if he had eyes.

He had pretty much come to the conclusion that he was dead. He should have been more upset, he knew, but he didn't feel the will to be angry. He wasn't happy, or sad, just neutral.

It was blissful, to not worry.

The floating feeling didn't last long, for everything came into sharp focus at once. He gasped, breathing heavily, as if he had stopped while unconscious. He was suddenly aware that he was laying on a hospital bed-like platform. He tried to sit up, but a hand pushed him back down. "Stop, you need rest."

He knew that voice. His head turned so fast, he heard his neck crick. _"You," _he said menacingly, gripping the side of the bed as he stood.

Kamak raised his hands in a protective manner. "Now, now, lay back down."

"You killed my brother!" he shouted, springing up and latching his hands around the old Magikoopa's throat. They went down on the ground, but Kamak was unable to push Mario off.

Mario's arms were becoming increasingly tired, and eventually, he was forced to release Kamak. The magician immediately backed up a few paces, massaging his windpipe.

"I can't pretend I didn't deserve that, and worse."

"I'm going to kill you."

Kamak folded his hands together. "Please refrain from doing so until I have my say."

"Why should I let _you _talk?!" Mario yelled.

"I am working for the other side, yes? But I just saved you from certain death. Wouldn't I have some valuable information to give you?"

Anger and adrenaline still coursed through Mario's veins, but he tried his best to relax. Taking a few deep breaths, he folded his arms and said, "Where are Peach and Daisy?"

"Daisy is, as far as I know, unconscious. Bowser took Peach to the dungeons."

Mario felt much more shocked than he thought he would have. It might have been due to the anger toward the messenger. "Are you looking for an early death?"

"Not particularly," Kamak replied, smirking. "I no longer agree with dear Bowser." For one second, he looked like an old koopa, extremely tired and fatigued. He pinched the bridge of his beak. "You have to be careful when raising children."

He felt a flicker of sympathy. "It's not your fault."

Kamak laughed humorlessly. "You say that now, but it changes when you have children of your own."

Mario felt a rush of panic. "At this rate, I might not get any children at all." He was surprised at his own words, unable to believe them himself.

Kamak looked slightly surprised. He smiled knowingly. "Ah, you love the princess? How... erm, predictable, if you'll excuse me."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." For a few moments, he forgot this was the one who killed his brother. But only for a few moments. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"Bowser may tell Peach that he wished to marry her. He has no such intention. If you do not save her, she will die."

* * *

Bowser pointed the wand at Peach's chest, hesitating only the slightest bit. He knew he was on a high from the drug-like mushrooms, and it was purely adrenaline that was keeping him going.

He had spent almost ten years chasing this woman, obsessing over her, planning their wedding, spying on her. She never showed any signs of liking him back, and that crushed him. It crushed him harder than any fighting or defeat by the Marios. So he was finished with her. He couldn't live with her mocking him, so she had to die. Why would he want to marry her?

He gave her a half smile, which became wider when she squirmed and her eyes widened. "Looks like you've been knocked down from your pedestal."

Peach gave a shaky breath and wrapped her arms around herself. She, once again, began to cry.

"What, you think I'll have sympathy for you? Quit with the waterworks before I slice your neck open!" Bowser yelled, becoming more aggravated with each word. "You're lucky you're getting a quick death."

"I thought you were giving me a choice!" Peach sobbed, hiccuping and gasping between every word.

"I lied, Sweety." He raised the wand, but something knocked it out of his hand. He watched in disbelief as it slid across the room, but he felt no pain in his wrist. Relinquishing his hold on Peach, her turned toward Mario. "Ah, look who finally decided to show up!"

"Mario! You're-" Peach screamed, but Bowser struck her across the face.

"Shut up!" he yelled as Peach tumbled to the floor.

Mario was on top of him before Bowser could utter another syllable. Mario punched him, but nothing seemed to hurt him. Bowser threw him off. "You think this is like the old days?!" he shouted. "You think I'm gonna sit here and get pummeled by you?!"

Mario hit the ground hard, but got up quickly. "It's not like the old days," he replied, breathing heavily. "It's not like the old days, because I'm going to kill you!"

Bowser let out a bark-like laugh. "What makes you so sure, big shot?"

"You've fucked with the Mushroom Kingdom for the last time, buddy," Mario said, spreading his arms wide. He smirked. "It's hilarious how you think you'll get away with it."

"I wouldn't be laughing. Half your men are dead! Some sympathy!"

"Don't play that card, Koopa!" He looked up, where they could hear shouts, fighting still going on. "Half of your men are dead. Some of them weren't even killed by our side! What kind of ruler are you?"

Bowser was quickly becoming more and more angry. How could this red-hatted imbecile still be alive? How could he question his ruling capability while Peach sit on the floor doing nothing? And how did Peach have Kamak's wand?

"Well, enough talking," Mario said briskly, the palms of his hands beginning to smoke. "I hope you've enjoyed your last minutes of daylight."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Bowser stuck his hand out. "One step closer and you get to see the inside of Toadstool's neck."

Mario's eyes widened and he stepped back a few paces. He spoke through clenched teeth, but that didn't stop his voice from shaking. "If you so much as breath in her direction again, I'll-"

"What? Hold me off? You couldn't stop before," he said gloatingly. He grabbed Peach by the arm as if she were a rag doll.

"Mario! Just finish him off, don't worry about me, I'll be fine! Just-" Bowser put a claw over her mouth.

"Peach, don't!"

"Well, you heard the lady!" Bowser shouted. "Take a swing at me!" He held Peach around the neck, holding his claws near her chest. She looked down at them in fear, then back up at Mario.

Mario stood there in utter silence, and Bowser was beginning to get impatient. "Fine!" He swung his claws back and hit Peach full force in the chest. He heard a satisfying _crunch _as his fingers cracked her ribcage.

* * *

It happened to quickly. Much too quickly. Mario stood helpless as Peach gave a sharp gasp and fell to the floor, limp as a rag doll. His stomach disappeared, and all the wind was knocked out of him.

Bowser looked at them both and laughed. "If you'll excuse me, I have some business to take care of." He grabbed the fallen wand off the floor and stalked out of the room.

Mario ran and knelt at Peach's side. The wounds in her chest were deep. Blood was already seeping through her blouse, creating a dark stain on the fabric. Blood was also pooling in her mouth. She coughed, spitting it onto the floor next to her. She stared up at him through wide blue eyes.

"M-Mario... I'm n-not gonna make it..."

"Don't talk." Mario swallowed, but he knew he was going to cry.

Peach's eyes drooped more and more. She gasped, her lips trying to form words. Mario had to stop breathing to catch her faint words. "I... love... y-you."

Mario let out a sob, covering his eyes with one hand. "I love you so much, Peach." He bent down, kissing her lightly. Peach kissed back, but he felt something leave her lips after a few seconds. He bent back up.

Peach stared at the ceiling without really seeing anything, her chest as unmoving as any rocks in this dungeon. He covered her hand with his, and only then did he feel the tears falling down his face.

He closed her eyes. Now she could be sleeping.


	13. A Better Start

**Man, it seems like with everything I post these days I have to apologize for it being unreasonably late. But yeah, sorry.**

**School just started and there's too much freaking homework. So that's my excuse.**

**I actually started writing this chapter months ago, but just finished it now. I've been slacking off big time where writing's concerned. I gotta get back in the groove.**

**As always, enjoy.  
**

**

* * *

**Bowser felt a mixed set of emotions. On one hand, he was overjoyed. With Peach out of the way, there was nothing stopping him from conquering the Mushroom Kingdom once and for all. This will have taken its toll on Mario, too, and he liked to see him suffer.

On the other hand, well, he couldn't deny that he had had feelings for the princess. He even thought that he was in love with her. He felt a little twinge of guilt, thinking of her small body bleeding on the ground.

It was for the best. Everything he was doing was _for the best._ Why should he feel guilt? The Mushroom Mushroom Kingdom had cleaned out their oil mines, killed their troops... _They _were the ones that should feel guilty.

He felt slightly drained, so he stopped at the power up store to eat more mushrooms. He noticed, after he was finished, that he had begun to make a dent in the supply.

He fingered the heavy, metal wand. He had been in training to learn how to use one at one point, but never followed through with it. He had only learned the few spells that interested him, like killing curses and the like. It had always been too difficult to learn, and he'd never had much patience. And besides, he was a king! Why would he want to be a magikoopa?

Speaking of magikoopas, he had to find Kamak and set things straight.

Where would he be right now? Perhaps in one of the many hallways? Ugh, it was too much trouble to find him in the huge castle.

* * *

Kamak was trying to lay low. If Bowser ever found out that he had helped the other side... Well, he'd rather not think about that. He was wandless and vulnerable, but he thought Bowser still had _some_ respect for him. He had raised him, for crying out loud.

Even so, he felt it best to stay away from him as of late.

* * *

The news that the Mushroom Kingdom's ruler had been killed spread quickly throughout the kingdom. Families near the bombings in Toad Town huddled together in their living rooms. People in Mushroom City, though not getting the brunt of the attack, still hoped for it to be over. Troops mourned their losses, but kept fighting.

It looked like Dark Land had won.

Mario wandered through the halls of Mushroom Castle, searching for Daisy. What if she was...? No. He couldn't bear to think that _everyone _he cared about had left him forever.

It suddenly struck his as to how unfair all this was. Everyone around him was dying and suffering, and what did he have to show for it? A few cuts and bruises? That didn't come close to what the others had been through. He _needed _to end it.

He realized that he had not known where he was wandering, and found himself at the castle entrance. Behind the heavy wooden doors he could hear endless fighting, guns going off, fists hitting flesh, screaming, shouting. There were people out there _dying, _he knew all too well.

He couldn't open the doors, that would leave them wide open for enemy troops, leaving them with no hope of winning. Hell, there was no hope. The only thing he could do was kill Bowser.

Mario had fought Bowser many, many times, and always came out victorious, but never succeeded in killing him. Bowser was strong, there was no doubt, and that was _without _the extra power he had gained from the mushrooms. Bowser had already almost killed him once. What if there was nobody there to save him a second time?

* * *

"Kamak!"

Oh, _no. _

Kamak's stomach seemed to drop a few feet, his heart rate increasing. "Yes?" he said, turning to face the powerful Koopa king.

"I need to talk to you." He rummaged through his pockets, extracting Kamak's wand.

He was thrilled for a moment, and his hand made an involuntary movement towards it. Bowser yanked it back out of his reach. "Do you know where I found this?" Not waiting for a response, he continued, "Toadstool had it. How could you leave this lying around?"

"I dropped it, nothing to worry about if you'd give it back to me."

"I can't, because I've noticed something else odd, too." His eyes flickered around the room. Kamak was surprised; he was a lot more calm than he expected. "Before I took Peach, I had a little... _disagreement _with Mario. When I left him, he was near dead. There was no way be could have survived without magical help."

Kamak was quiet. Bowser knew. How did he find out? _How?_

"You, of all people. I thought I could _trust _you, Kamak, you were practically my father!" Ah, here was the anger the wizard had been expecting, though that didn't make it ant better. "I can't believe it! Why?"

Kamak hesitated before answering. "Bowser, this has gone too far, and you know it! All this senseless killing... Why do we even need the Mushroom Kingdom? We could take over the smaller kingdoms surrounding it, we wouldn't have to do anything, really..." Kamak was aware he was rambling senselessly, but he knew it was because of the guilt.

Guilt? Wait. This was stupid. He'd killed so many other people, why should he feel bad for killing Mario's brother.

"Kamak, you're being an idiot!" Bowser roared. "What have we been working for all these years? How could you just say that? It's like you want to throw it all away, everything I've dedicated my life to!"

"No, _you're _the thick-headed one, as usual!" Kamak shouted, abandoning all self control. He had years of pent-up anger at this dumb lizard, and it was suddenly spilling out of him. "All your life, I've cared for you, cleaned up after your messes, made sure you didn't kill yourself in every attempt to take over the Mushroom Kingdom! Do you think I _wanted _a son? No! I was stuck with you when your father left. You're nothing but a nuisance and a disappointment."

The air got a lot thicker. Bowser hardly flinched; his eyebrows may have knotted together tighter. He lashed out his hand, and for a second Kamak thought Bowser was going to hit him, until he realized he was holding his wand out to him. "Here."

Kamak snatched it none too gently out of his hand. There was no reason to start regretting what he said, that would just make him look soft.

He turned on his heel and left the ruined castle, leaving Bowser feeling as if he'd lost his father for the second time.


End file.
